Foster will start against Steelers, Kubiak says

Updated 3:09 pm, Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Arian Foster is ready to start Sunday against the Steelers, head coach Gary Kubiak said Wednesday. (Hans Deryk/AP)

Arian Foster is ready to start Sunday against the Steelers, head coach Gary Kubiak said Wednesday. (Hans Deryk/AP)

Photo: Hans Deryk, Associated Press

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Houston Texans running back Arian Foster (23) cuts through a hole past New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma (51) on his way to a 28-yard touchdown run during the first quarter of an NFL preseason football game at Reliant Stadium Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011, in Houston. ( Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle )

Houston Texans running back Arian Foster (23) cuts through a hole past New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma (51) on his way to a 28-yard touchdown run during the first quarter of an NFL preseason

"He's fine," coach Gary Kubiak said. "He should be OK heading into the rest of the season now, hopefully. We'll keep our fingers crossed. He's chomping at the bit and ready to go, took his full load and we're okay."

Foster will start, and Ben Tate will come off the bench. Derrick Ward missed another day of practice because of a sprained ankle.

"He's a hell of a player," Kubiak said about Foster. "We've been missing him, Ben has done a hell of a job, too. He's (Foster) a key player on this team that we've almost played a month without. I know it's still a long road back. Like I said, it doesn't just go from nothing to everything. I think Arian's played 30, 33 snaps, and our other starters have played over 300 this year, so we got to bring him along the right way, too."

"They're all good today," Kubiak said. "I changed practice a little bit because had I left it the way we did it last week, those guys would've missed, and we couldn't have them missing. We went a little longer, and it was more on teaching today, but those guys were all able to practice, and, hopefully, we'll be okay tomorrow to go full-go."